MELLODRAMA: The Mellotron Movie

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"Mellodrama: The Mellotron Movie" explores the history of tape keyboard sampling through Harry Chamberlin's invention of the Chamberlin keyboards, the popularization of the Mellotron, and its influence today.

Mellodrama explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron – the first musical keyboard to “sample” the sounds of other instruments – from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s.

The Mellotron is a keyboard instrument that plays prerecorded tapes. It was invented as the Chamberlin organ by Harry Chamberlin who wanted to sell his "orchestra at your fingertips" to every Aunt Mable in America. But his trusted salesman Bill Franson took two instruments to England, and found manufacturers to replicate the Chamberlin. Under this dubious pretense, the Mellotron was born.

Through the music of the Beatles, the Zombies, and the Moody Blues, the Mellotron became the "instant magic sound." In the 1970s, it defined the sound of progressive rock bands like Yes and Genesis. Though forgotten during the 1980s, when digital synthesizers hijacked pop music, the Mellotron is today again a highly desired and sought-after device, a connection for artists like Radiohead and Kanye West to the mystical lost world of invention.